Tale of the Feline Assassin
by FictionerMcGee
Summary: AU: Tigress wasn't adopted by Shifu, and is left to fend for herself. Taking place after KFP2, Po and the Furious Four encounter a well deserved peace until an unknown enemy has targeted the Dragon Warrior himself for meddling with his ulterior motives. A certain trained assassin is sent to kill Po, but it would seem that not everything is as simple as it was presumed to be... TiPo
1. Chapter 1

**This is something I'll be doing along with "Mei Ling's Return". I guess you could consider this my "outlet" in case I have writer's block for either story. Anyways, I'll continue updating both of them as soon as I am able. I have got nothing more to say, so without further ado, here is the fanfic you wanted to read! (hopefully... aww whatever. I won't flatter myself).**

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KFP: Tale of the Feline Assassin

 **(Disclaimer: I don't own KFP or anything related to it. Now leave me alone Dreamworks :P)**

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"Argh! Owwwie-Ow! Ooohooohooooo! Anywhere but the tenders!"

Po, otherwise known as the legendary Dragon Warrior, was lying there feebly sprawled on his back at the very foot of the stairs. The stairs led all the way up to the Jade Palace, and proudly possessed one thousand steps on them. Obviously, falling down them consecutively for the third time in the same day was not usually considered a normal day-in-the-life of a Chinese citizen.

Po was luckily protected by the layers of "padding" he naturally had all over his body. Some er-, many choice others would call it "fat", but the panda's sensitive side would often frown upon that humiliatingly accurate statement. Nevertheless, he toughened out the precarious fall down the great stairs without any bruises this time. Thankfully. The poor panda probably couldn't take another harsh beatdown by architecture for the day.

The citizens of the Valley of Peace lazily milled about, enjoying all the time they had amongst themselves and paid no attention to the panda who was casually brushing himself off after causing a loud commotion at the very bottom of the Jade Palace stairs. Apparently, they had all grown accustomed to hearing the Dragon Warrior's agonized screams from the first thing in the morning and lasting all the way to the end of the day. How pleasant.

"Ugh... How does Crane's 'Wings of Justice' technique have THAT much force behind it? It's just a large gust of air... Heheh, who'd have thought?"

Po got up after dusting off his shorts with his meaty paws and popped the bones that he could, checking for any signs of breaks or fractures. He found none. He was now one-hundred percent unharmed and ready for action. The panda glanced upwards at the Jade Palace and groaned when he realized that he had to climb all the way up yet again only to probably be sent flying down towards the stairs for the fourth sequential time.

It was currently sunset, but the Dragon Warrior's physical abuse would continue well towards midnight due to his recently discovered list of "Excuses-I-Can-Say-to-Master-Shifu-In-Order-to-Avoid-Training". The panda and everyone else in the Valley of Peace would have thought that saving China twice from equally ruthless evildoers would have at the very least earned him a couple of lenient breaks. Unfortunately, Master Shifu thought otherwise.

The Furious Four laughed and shared a moment when the discovery of the "contraband material" happened, leaving a very sheepish panda who twiddled his thumbs nervously as the Grandmaster of the Jade Palace had given him the worst death glare known to all of China. If you ask the Dragon Warrior himself, he would even dare to say that the fury of a kung-fu grandmaster was on a scale of something even larger than the country of China, and maybe even Asia. But then again, Po's opinion towards the red panda is quite biased, considering his daily punishments received from him. At least a certain simian friend of his would cool down Shifu's simmering rage to a mere quiet anger.

At least a certain simian friend of his would cool down Shifu's simmering rage to a mere quiet anger so that at the end of the day, master and pupil were still in their respective positions, with no hard feelings towards each other.

Speaking of which, the panda had finally made it up the stairs and was laying on his back once again, very much out of breath and stubbornly refusing to get up with exhaustion as his motivation for his insubordination. That is, until a slim, brown hand with a wrist bracer entered his peripheral vision, offering a hand for support. Po took it gratefully, and when he got up, the Dragon Warrior was met with the amused eyes of the residents of the Jade Palace.

Crane, Mantis, Viper, Master Shifu, and of course Monkey all held barely repressed smiles at his arrival. They had all warmed up greatly to the panda's childish personality after he saved the valley from Tai Lung and most recently, liberated Gongmen City from the clutches from Lord Shen. The Dragon Warrior certainly had a reputation going on for him if he didn't already.

Po gave the Furious Four a thumbs-up gesture, turned to his petite-in-size master, and asked, "So who am I gonna spar against next? The only other options are either you Master, or Mantis."

The mentioned red panda placed both of his nimble paws behind his back respectfully and replied, "In consideration of your recent efforts during training, I think that a small dismissal would from the rest of our exercises would suffice for now-".

"Woohoo!" The panda cheered while holding up a hand signaling a high-five for anyone willing to accept it. Awkwardly, no one noticed so he was left hanging there. Fortunately, Master Shifu saved him from further humiliation and made his way to his side all the while clearing his throat, which directed the center of attention back towards him. All of the Jade Palace members had their full attentiveness towards the red panda. Even the usually distracted Dragon Warrior, which was quite unusual. The elderly master then fixed all of them a very firm glare and lingered deliberately on the usually troublesome panda, who anxiously grinned at him pretending to feign ignorance.

"But," the red panda added icily, "if anyone decides to take advantage of my generosity, then I will personally put the offending person through a combat regiment similar to Po's training on his first day at the Jade Palace. I'm sure you all remember the specific details. If not, I'll be glad to help you recall it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Master," they all acknowledged, especially the Dragon Warrior, who was visibly shaking much to his dismay. Master Shifu smiled inwardly. Perhaps he did, in fact, have some ounce of control left over his students.

"Wonderful. Now, if there aren't any more questions, comments, or snide remarks-. Yes Panda, that last part was directed towards you above all the others. Anyways, you are all dismissed. Enjoy the rest of your free time. I expect the same, if not better, quality of your performances when the sun rises again tomorrow."

"Thank you, Master Shifu..."

 _(Bandit hideout. Location: Unknown)_

"DAMN IT! WHY WASN'T I INFORMED THAT SHEN DIED THREE WEEKS AGO! COURIERS, MESSENGER GEESE, AND ALL THEIR ILK ARE THE EPITOME OF DISAPPOINTMENTS THESE DAYS!"

A male feline, more specifically, a tiger, was angrily pacing back and forth around his narrow table. Scrolls were scattered everywhere in his state of rage, and on an adjacent wall, there was a messenger goose. The tiger getting furious was actually a common occurrence, but the only difference was that the mentioned goose had taken its last dying breath not too long ago and was simply a wall ornament now. There was a wicked dagger slowly dripping blood from where the goose had been mercilessly stabbed in the neck, meant to further pin his frail figure to the wall in quite the sadistic manner. Quaint...

"AND NOW I NEED A NEW MESSENGER. AGAIN! WHY CAN'T THEY JUST GIVE ME BLOODY GOOD NEWS FOR ONCE!"

The interior of the building shook violently as the tiger vented his anger, along with an unholy amount of curses and vulgar profanities that even Satan himself would reel away from. Crocs, oxen, water buffalo, and various other bandits outside the structure turned towards the disturbance, sighed tiredly, and continued on with their usual business. This was all a part of the daily life of being a bandit. More specifically, HIS group of bandits. To mention the tiger's name was to have a public execution, in which the violator would have their throat slowly slit so he could forcibly endure more anguish before the inevitable and sweet embrace of the end.

The hideout was a generally safe environment other than the company that it kept concealed within it. For one, it was located in the very center of an isolated clearing that was surrounded by a dense number of pine trees. The area was off the maps therefore, it was expedient for a bandit or fugitive to hide there. The hideout contained myriad amounts of tents with a single stone settlement in the middle. That building was currently what the feline bandit leader used as a headquarter, and where he placed himself in for the greater duration of the day.

To top it all off, the perimeter of the clearing had tall wooden barriers with spikes protruding from the tip, with rotting skulls lying on top, warding away the occasional curious straggler/adventurer. Quite the tourist attraction.

A loud and sonorous slam could be heard reverberating throughout the hideout as the only metal door the stone settlement had was kicked down roughly from its hinges. Exiting the building was the furious tiger, with a crushed scroll in his massive paw. The nearest bandits quietly gulped and tried to avert their eyes from the obviously vexed tiger as he scanned his surroundings, his extremely red eyes missing nothing. Or were they just bloodshot from lack of sleep? What the bandits knew, however, was that the feline's temper was not one to be trifled with.

Apparently, the ex-messenger goose had done just that with the message he brought.

The tiger visibly stiffened when a steady hoof placed itself upon his soldier but relaxed when he looked into the firm and indomitable eyes of his second-in-command. The feline shook him off indignantly, his anger still needing time to cool down.

"The next limb that you touch me with is gonna come off with the assistance of a bastard-sword. No matter your intentions or the length of your offending appendage. A fair warning so that you only have yourself to blame when it occurs."

"Hmph. I should have expected as much. Alright then. I shall abide by your wishes."

"Smartest thing you've said all week..."

By the tiger's side was an abnormally large boar. The boar had rough, gray fur and multiple scars running throughout his body. It signified his experience in battle, as well as his endurance towards physical pain. The second-in-command only wore light armor, as his hide was strong enough to absorb the impact of any blade, whether it be a wooden butter knife or an ebony butcher's cleaver. The boar learned this from experience.

The two of them stayed that way, in front of the broken metal door that was now useless, surveying the area for bandits that were slacking off on their assigned duties. If one did not look close enough, the figures residing in the clearing could have almost been mistaken for a group of mercenaries, with the orange feline as the commander. Of course, the bandits' uncommonly brutal methods of "getting things done" quickly disproved that statement whenever the opportunity arose. It wasn't until the tiger spoke was the heavy silence that continued to thicken between them finally broken.

"Lord Shen, my recent associate and most influential client in Gongmen City has been killed. And by his own collapsing hunk of metal, to top it all off... That overly arrogant chicken moron. To think that I had decided to generously fund a huge portion of his supposed 'Bringer of the End of Kung Fu'."

"He was a peacock-"

"Shut up. Before he died, however, the scroll I read from that failure-of-a-messenger-goose claimed that this so-called 'Dragon Warrior' was there to bring forth his demise. Some mystical hocus-pocus about 'Inner Peace' and whatnot."

"I heard... You're not very subtle in masking your reactions towards bad news, sir."

The tiger craned his neck sideways to firmly glare at the boar. The swine took no regard to this and continued to look forwards off into the distance. Fortunately, the feline leader decided not to enforce discipline upon his mutual ally. One, because it would have been nearly impossible to wound him but still doable, and two, because the tiger felt too lazy to.

"Whatever. I think that we should send someone to teach this 'Dragon Warrior' a lesson." The feline stated this with the mockery and ridicule clearly evident in his tone. The boar could practically see the harsh, but metaphorical venom that held sinister insinuations drip from his fangs. The bandit leader looked especially deadly when he continued speaking and his voice dropped a pitch lower as to indicate the direction of where his dark thoughts were heading.

Even though that over-sized chicken was a pain in the neck, he and his wolves were under MY influence in Gongmen, and I don't take kindly to open acts of aggression against things I own, whether it be intentional or unintentional. Hmmm... Maybe I should send a subtle food poisoner or even an assassin to get rid of this sudden dilemma. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Do you have anyone in particular that you want to send towards this untimely impediment?"

"That I do my friend. That I do... By the way, I don't suppose that you know where this legendary warrior resides?"

"The Dragon Warrior takes residence in the Jade Palace within the Valley of Peace. Or at the local noodle shop there if you're lucky."

"Perfect. Let's just hope the Dragon Warrior can live up to his expectations and repertoire then. It'd be an anticlimactic shame if he died so abruptly... Though I wouldn't mind in the slightest how he passes from this world..."

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 **Author's Note: I'll keep these chapters rolling in, but remember I'm not a machine! (Lol). By the way, I'm a sucker for reviews, so unleash all you got down there! (For some reason, that sounded incredibly dirty...) Anyways, I'll take my leave now. See y'all next chapter! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! From the feedback I'm getting, I'll keep that in mind and not rush this series as it has some "potential", according to the reviewers. (It made my day whenever I got around to reading them btw. Thought I'd let you guys know that I do appreciate them, 'cause positive reviews are like my stimulants/coffee in the morning for lack of a better analogy.) Anyways, enjoy :D**

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(The _Student Barracks)_

"Ummm, are you positive that this is such a great idea?"

"Course it is! The better question: why has no one has ever bothered to come up with this until now!"

Viper worriedly glanced at the panda who was attempting to balance on the wooden kitchen floor using only a pair of chopsticks sloppily glued to the sides of each of his feet for balance. The key word is "attempting". Monkey and Mantis were secretly placing bets on how long the thin supports would last before the panda's rather large weight would snap them completely in half. Crane shook his head disapprovingly, but his eyes clearly betrayed a hint of his inner amusement towards the Dragon Warrior and his latest "innovation".

"See how cool these are? With these, I'll constantly be practicing my coordination and stability training in my Kung Fu, annnnnd I'll still be able to serve you guys your meals as well as do everything else that I usually do! It's almost as if nothing even happened! Master Shifu is gonna be so proud of me when I tell him about this! I can already see the look on his face! Pure gold!"

The Furious Four were gathered around the only table in the kitchen with the panda in his usual spot at the stove cooking their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The panda was awkwardly cutting off the leaves of a bok choy all the while with his chopstick supports precariously creaking and shuddering in protest. The Four snickered at this, and Monkey spoke up with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Hey, at least it's better than your other idea of playing kickball in the Hall of Heroes! Now that was a nightmare!"

The Four couldn't hold it in any longer and they all burst out laughing, much to the panda's dismay.

"I got to agree with Monkey on that one," chuckled Mantis, "Master Shifu was furious when he walked in to see the Urn of Whispering Warriors broken yet again. Poor guys... They had probably hoped to have gotten at least one millennium of rest before having to worry about things like a kickball disturbing them in their sleep."

Po pouted indignantly, but none could see as his back was faced towards them as he continued to chop up the remaining vegetables. Unfortunately, the panda wasn't looking where he was cutting the knife and accidentally scored a faint line on his thumb, eliciting a sharp yelp from him. Po was surprised, as it had been awhile since his dexterity in the kitchen failed him, and he leaned backward only to try to stomp his feet on the ground to regain his footing. Big mistake.

*snap*

"OWWW! HRGNHHHH! THAT STINGS!"

The Furious Four were all laughing now at the panda that had some new battle wounds on his feet, more specifically, various splinters and pieces of the Chinese utensil that had embedded itself into his poor flesh. Luckily, it did not seem to sink in the skin too deeply, so the four laughing members on the table weren't as worried as they could be about their adorably clumsy Dragon Warrior.

"Haha, pay up Monkey! He lasted no longer than thirty minutes!"

"Yeah right! It was thirty-one minutes at the very LEAST!"

Crane and Viper both looked at each other briefly before snickering and shaking their heads at the two bickering masters of Kung Fu. Po, who was now casually pulling myriad lengths of wood out of his heel, decided to join in the festivities and laughed lightly at his own predicament. True, perhaps he had brought this upon himself. Viper sympathetically slid off from her chair and slithered over to where the panda was, in the hopes of assisting him with pulling out the smaller splinters that eluded the reach of his stubby claws.

"Oh Po... I don't know how you are able to keep up with your antics like this. I'll admit it though; you really have changed the Jade Palace for the better ever since you first arrived."

"Thanks, Viper... That means a lot coming from you."

"Yeah! We both totally agree to that as well," strained Mantis verbally while struggling to get his simian companion in an arm lock in order to force him to concede his almond cookies. They were the mutually agreed prize for the victor in the bet after all. Apparently, the golden-furred master was being his usual stubborn self. "Oomph! Cut it out! I don't know how we- WOAH! made it without ya being there with us for so long! Makes me think how far we've come... How about you Crane? Ack! Stop struggling and just hand them over to me! I actually won fairly this time as well!"

"Never! The location of my jar of cookies will go down with me to my grave!"

"Then I guess I'll have to send you down there prematurely then! Is that what you really want?!"

"FIGHT ME BUG!"

"I AM!"

Crane, witnessing this, could barely suppress the smile that had already been forming on his face since the start of the conversation before addressing Mantis's question that was directed toward him. He gave the Dragon Warrior a compassionate glance, who had at this point gotten up off the floor after Viper finished her ministrations of both of his feet. Master Viper was also smiling expectantly at him, waiting for the panda's no-doubt-to-be touched response. The big ball of fluff always was an emotional character after all. It didn't matter that he was claimed by many others as one of the best warriors in all of China.

Po, obviously caught up in his sentimentality, only stuttered incoherently with a hint of a tear in his eye from gleefulness. The others assumed that what the Dragon Warrior wanted to say would be properly expressed in words, so they all amusedly accepted his illiterate response.

"I've got nothing to say against that Po. What they're all saying is true," commended Viper, "It was definitely worth it to watch as you became more and more familiar with us and our... diverse family, to say the least."

The five of them all smiled at each other, lost in a haze of nostalgia and pleasant memories. The Dragon Warrior sighed contentedly when he remembered all the enjoyable times he and the Four had together. They all shared a moment, simply enjoying the trip down memory lane. Of course, it didn't last very long, as Mantis asked a single question that made all their hearts beat significantly faster in anxiety.

Po started off on when they first officially met, when the giant panda nearly landed on Master Crane whilst trying to find out who the Dragon Warrior was going to be. Of course, the poor panda was never really accepted as first, but then again, having a title that you have worked for your entire life "stolen" by a flaming panda from the sky was enough to make anyone bitter. It took quite some time, but the giant, cuddly, and loveable Dragon Warrior eventually managed to get all members of the Furious Four to warm up to his joyous personality and unwavering resolve. They all shared a moment, simply enjoying the trip down memory lane. Of course, it didn't last very long, as Mantis asked a single question that made all their hearts beat significantly faster in anxiety.

The unorthodox Dragon Warrior even managed to get a cold, stern, and detached Master Shifu to warm up to his robust figure. Especially his robust figure. They all shared a moment, simply enjoying the trip down memory lane. Of course, it didn't last very long, as Mantis asked a single question that made all their hearts beat significantly faster in anxiety.

All the warriors currently gathered in the kitchen shared a moment, simply enjoying the trip down memory lane. Of course, it didn't last very long, as Mantis asked a single question that made all their hearts beat significantly faster in anxiety.

"Uhhhh, hate to be THAT kind of guy who breaks such tender, bonding moments like these... BUT WHY IS THERE A MASSIVE FIRE RIGHT BEHIND YOU PO?!"

"AAAAAAAH! I FORGOT TO PUT OUT THE FIRE UNDERNEATH THE BOILING POT! SOMEBODY HELP!"

The Furious Four and the Dragon Warrior all panicked as they went their separate directions, trying to find a way to douse the rapidly growing flame. Perhaps having a wooden floor in the kitchen was not such a great idea after all as the fire traveled down it without too much effort. Po, even in his state of panic, was able to get his thick, meaty paws around Crane's neck as he was the only one closest to him and uttered a frantic command at the tall now-choking bird.

"CRANE! DO SOMETHING! PUT IT OUT BEFORE IT GETS WORSE!"

"I'M A KUNG FU MASTER! NOT A CULINARY-ARTS SPECIALIST OR FIREFIGHTER! WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?! DO A RAIN DANCE?! PRAY TO THE GODS ABOVE?! LAUNCH MY 'WINGS OF JUSTICE' AT IT AND REDUCE IT TO A MERE CANDLE FLAME?!"

It was at that moment when everyone else stopped what they were doing and glared pointedly at the avian. Po's grip on his neck did not falter as he held a neutral face when he stared at him. The Dragon Warrior's eyebrow was also quirked up accusingly. The flames crackled ominously as if it too blamed Crane for its terror-causing existence. Once he realized how the situation could have initially been handled, he simply said with a light hint of remorse in his tone,

"Heheh... Oops. Right. My bad..."

"CAN YOU JUST GET ON WITH IT!" they all shouted synchronously.

"S-sorry..." It was then that the Dragon Warrior let go of the avian's neck in order to let him do what needed to be done.

Living at the Jade Palace was most certainly... "interesting".

That much was mutually agreed among all the residents living there.

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The tiger leader was in a much calmer mood than before. He was able to vent off most of his frustrations towards a bandit that was unfortunately caught breaking the rules at the worst possible time. In front of the male feline's line of view. The bandit was now (in the aggressive feline's own articulate words), sleeping soundly at the bottom of a nearby lake. And never to rise back up to the surface ever again. Ever. The tiger meanwhile, was nice and dry in his personal tent that lay a small distance away from the stone settlement, bent over the myriad scrolls that lay sprawled out across a single rustic table. He was currently busy scribbling something over a formally-written piece of paper.

He was currently busy scribbling something over a formally-written piece of paper. His quill scratched noisily as it skirted and danced across the surface of the document, it's letters looking sloppy and next to illegible. At least the head bandit made efficient progress with his expeditious, yet ironically messy writing skills.

Clearly, this document was of utmost importance and needed to be delivered to its receiver immediately.

Since he had yet to oppress- er, "encourage" another messenger goose into joining his unorthodox army of bandits and all others, he was stuck having to be a courier himself for the time being. Pfft. As if. There was no way in hell he would reduce himself to that level.

"Ugh. The nerve of that idiotic goose. He just HAD to die on only his second day working here. Now I have to waste more time in replacing unnecessary, yet useful positions. At least I didn't pay him yet. Poor bastard. I'd have paid him decently enough... Okay, that's a downright lie. Well, at least I would have paid him some amount of money. Sooner or later. Perhaps later. Much later..."

The tiger carefully skimmed his eyes over the scroll he had just finished, checking for its accuracy. Yes. The document was an indeed an assassination contract. An assassination contract that was center directly on a certain indomitable fighter in China. It provided multiple details, statistics, and general information about none other than the Legendary Dragon Warrior himself. It was very thorough and specific, even though the handwriting was horrific and almost illegible from years of negligence towards the art of literacy.

"You know what? I'm not going to walk across half of China to deliver this shitty message to an assassin that may or may not be occupied at the moment. Duanpao! Get your scrawny ass in here! I need you to do something for me!"

A five-second pause happened afterward, and the orange striped feline patiently waited by reclining back on the stiff chair and propping his legs up on the table, his casual outlook masking the swirl of emotions that were gradually escaping his professional composure. He didn't get to enjoy the luxury of having a lack of work as much as he would have preferred, but he was already well accustomed to having an extremely busy schedule anyways. After all, he was the one who was in charge of this whole entire group of miscreants.

After a moment of silence, labored breathing was heard growing nearer and nearer to his private tent and a small rat peeped its head in between the tent's covers. He caught sight of the waiting bandit leader and proceeded to climb up on top of the tiger's desk to face him. The rat's claws scratched audibly over the desk's smooth wooden craftsmanship, and the male feline twitched his ears in slight irritation at this.

"You called for me M'Lord?"

"Yes, I did indeed..." The tiger leader glanced up from looking at his claws to the small frame that was now standing adjacent to his broad ankles. He moved his massive feet back onto the floor and gave the rat a firm stare, locking the poor rodent in place as he was too fearful to move, much less break eye contact. The bandit leader forcibly held the visual link between them, almost to the point of the staredown being awkward. The rat was still paralyzed in his position. He dared not even to move a whisker. Duanpao eventually could not hold still any longer and trembled visibly before the tiger bandit let out a cold, humorless chuckle.

It was always fun to size up the newer recruits within his army. Their reactions were always ranging from between false bravado to downright soiling their pants in front the intimidating tiger. Again, new recruits were always entertaining. As long as they were useful as well, of course. Speaking of which...

"How long have you been within our ranks again? Six days? A week?"

"T-two weeks, M'Lord."

"Ah. It seems that you were irrelevant enough for me to forget the supposedly other seven days that you were here."

The offended rat bit his tongue. He was smart enough to know that those who acted in an insubordinate manner directly towards the tiger were quickly taught the ways of discipline and enforcement. The tiger's comment about him being unimportant still wounded his pride greatly though.

"I w-was here in the camp ever since I joined. I-. *sigh* I haven't been given a chance to prove myself yet M'Lord."

"I've figured that out already. What would you suppose you would do if I sent you on a rather simple, but crucial delivery mission?"

The rat, caught by surprise, quickly straightened his back as tall as he could. His tailed twitched excitedly, with a hint of energetic anticipation. Being a courier was his specialty and occupation before he arrived at the camp. The orange-furred leader noticed his not-so-subtle change in personality but decided to keep his amusements to himself. He still had to keep up his boulder-like reputation after all.

"M'Lord. I'll have you know that although I do not possess the strength or determination to battle anyone in terms of combat, I replace that loss tenfold with my speed and efficiency. There's nothing that a normal messenger can do that I can't do better-."

"Alright, alright. Shut up already… I get it. You're quick on your feet if nothing else. Good. As much as I hate to blow up your ego even more than you have done so for yourself, you are the exact person that I need right now."

"Yes, M'Lord…" The rodent sounded slightly put off. He had more to say about himself. Unsurprisingly, a LOT more.

The tiger leader, deciding that pleasantries were now officially over, went straight down to business. He grabbed the assassination contract that rested idly on the table and tossed it towards Duanpao, who clumsily caught it with both his paws just in the nick of time before he got nailed in the face with the parchment.

"You say you're good. Maybe even one of the best… I want you to prove it. Deliver that one promptly to the one most people name the "Red Death". She is a tiger like myself, so you shouldn't have a problem identifying her. Any questions before I kick you out of my tent?"

"Er, Red Death, M'Lord? And it's a SHE as well?"

The feline bandit leader scoffed mockingly at the rodent's ignorance. "Yes, and SHE, as you want to put it, earned that title for good reasons. She has never failed a contract that was given to her. Nor has anyone ever evaded her for long. Just try not to do something stupid like piss her off, which might take a little bit more effort from you, but you're fine as long as you stay within your own personal boundaries."

The small rodent gulped nervously. His kind, the rats, were naturally skittish around felines, and the Red Death being his natural enemy did not do any favors in calming his nerves. The tiger leader noticed this, and this time let out a genuine, but quiet laugh. This rat was just too funny. At least to the tiger if no one else, much to his fortune. Perhaps that's how he was still able to stay alive up until this point.

"As you can imagine, this tigress is a very elusive, hard-to-pinpoint character. It'll be hard to find her specific location as she is constantly on the move, but word from my scouts have claimed that there have been multiple unsolved killings of corrupt political figures on the coasts of China and Taiwan. It would be best if you started there. Any more dumbass questions?"

"No M'lord. I am ready to head out towards the eastern provinces of China."

"Excellent. Time is money. Even more so when the Dragon Warrior's fat neck is on the line. If you can even see his neck. Probably not."

And with that, the tiger waved off the rodent who had placed the scroll in between his jaws gingerly and sped off towards the exit of the bandit hideout. The bandit leader went back to his scrolls, and everything resumed normally within the bandit camp/hideout once more.

* * *

It was currently midnight, with the moon being mostly concealed by shadows. It was darker than usual, so it served her purpose. The less light that shone among your surroundings, the fewer chances that you would be discovered in your various "endeavors". After all, if you want something dirty done, eliminate possible chances of witnesses.

A lone tigress was dragging a dead and clearly robust goat by its horns into the waters of Taiwan. She had a blood-red cloak with yellow trimmings that went down to her ankles along with a hood that covered her head and ears loosely, but securely. Underneath the hood was a mask that concealed her identity, due to her line of work. Only her crimson-red pupils were seen on her face. Being recognized in her line of "work" would most likely end up with her going to prison. Or worse.

The goat had already been burned alive courtesy of the tigress's paranoia, so no traces of what the goat's identity could have the possibility of being revealed. The only source of recognition was the Emperor's official seal that was beautifully sewn into the charred robes. Well, not so beautifully anymore now that everything on the victim was pretty much a sickly shade of black.

Fortunately, she had already taken care of the situation and quickly cut off the emblem, guaranteeing that even if he were to be found, no one could prove that he was a representative of the Emperor himself. It was a waste of time to end his life really. Even if the goat did have it coming for himself. Traveling all the way from China to Taiwan on a boat was not something one should do on a regular basis. It wasn't dangerous. It was just tedious. Extremely tedious.

The burnt corpse used to be a corrupt merchant that was hoarding food and selling it at villages at exorbitant rates, only for his benefits. Obviously, he now wasn't going to be able to do much-rigged bartering anymore. The tigress continued pulling the goat further and further into the deep ocean, trying to remove any possible trace of his existence.

The assassination went as flawlessly as expected, once she took the time to reflect back upon herself. The orange she-cat had merely walked up to him the moment he had stepped into a secluded patch of trees and slit his throat with a single claw swipe. The poor fellow didn't even have any time to scream or even bulge his eyeballs in surprise. At least it was a quick and painless death. Normally, the assassin wouldn't be so lenient towards those who had wronged others, no matter how severe or inconsequential the transgression was.

It was excessively exhausting work, having to drag an obese goat merchant all the way from the center of Taiwan to its north-western coast to remove all traces of evidence. She sighed irritably when she glanced one more time at her non-moving contract. To think that this merchant was able to be the Emperor's lap-dog as well as control most of Taiwan's economy with the said royalty being oblivious to the entire ordeal.

It just goes to show how much evil there was in the world if the Emperor didn't even have time to concentrate on his own country, and instead focused primarily on the threats of a Mongolian invasion. Did the tigress consider herself a part of that rapidly spreading evil? She never gave it a second thought, even when her ruthless assassinations sometimes led to the killings of innocent civilians if the situation escalated that far.

After a while of struggling with the dead-weight and forging for expedient materials, the tigress was able to build a makeshift and easily sinkable raft that would carry the goat into the ocean as far as her vision would permit. The assassin, once the coffin-of-a-raft was fully constructed, tossed the merchant ungracefully onto its surface. The goat landed ungracefully as the wooden planks groaned under the sudden strain, but it still held up nevertheless. With a simple light push, the raft was heading away from the tigress and heading further and further into the deep, dark, and endless ocean beyond. The feline stayed standing there on the sand bar, making sure that what she had wanted to happen had occurred to the goat. With a couple more minutes of waiting, the assassin let out a satisfied exhale of air.

With a simple light push, the raft was heading away from the tigress and heading further and further into the deep, dark, and endless ocean beyond.

The feline stayed standing there on the sand bar, making sure that what she had wanted to happen had occurred to the goat. With a couple more minutes of waiting, the assassin let out a satisfied exhale of air.

The raft that the charred body lay on was just barely within her view before it collapsed entirely to the ocean floor, taking the ex-merchant along with it. He was now officially gone forever. Buried by the constant waves of the ocean. A few years later, and he would probably be forgotten from the memories of others forever. Only time could tell for things like this.

The tigress, also known as the feared and sometimes even respected "Red Death", went back to the sandy beach she was on and disappeared into the thick foliage of Taiwan without even taking a single glance back. Her cloak calmly responded neutrally with each step she took the opposite direction from the raft, and a single striped tail was seen just below the hem. The tail itself swished lightly, the only thing that was visible on the assassin that betrayed her current feeling of fulfillment. Still, there was much, much more left to do before it was time to call it quits.

Her mission was complete, and that was that. No ifs, ands, or buts. It was merely time to move on to another assassination contract.

* * *

 **Author's Note: And that is done! Now for Chapter 3! I'm quite pleased with myself for this one. This chapter actually met my usual "at-least-3000" words quota and was twice the amount from the first chapter. I've got an idea of where I want this story to be headed, so sit tight until the next one comes out! (The plot looks so badass in my mind; I'd better not butcher this one lol).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! Let's get straight to it!**

* * *

"Po..."

The Dragon Warrior groaned melodramatically, clearly expressing his discomfort before pulling his sheets tighter against his massive frame. Can't he just get a normal night's rest for once? It wasn't really THAT much to ask... Was it?

"Po."

The mentioned panda groaned even louder as if it were even possible to go beyond his previous expression of anguish. Why can't his awkwardly timed visitor come back later? Po was semi-sure that whoever was bugging him understood his unspoken message: _"Leave me alone! The Dragon Warrior operates on a balanced sleep schedule, not from the sweat and tears of his ignorant foes! Though, to be honest, that's also pretty cool too..."_

"..."

 _"Whew,"_ thought Po, _"I'm glad that at least someone has the decency to go away after they realize that they're intruding in my personal space."_

"PO CAN YOU GET UP! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I BOTHERED TRYING!"

"AHHHH!" Po fell out of his bed, the surprise evident on his roundish features. He was expecting Master Shifu to be impatiently tapping his foot on the solid wooden floor, ready to smack him on the top of his skull with his staff, not the praying mantis that was quietly fuming in front of him, eyes set in a stern glare. _"Okay... I take back everything I just commended him about. This insect has NO manners!"_

When the panda was able to refocus his vision on his surroundings, he found himself lying on his back in his room at the Student Barracks with none other than Mantis on his round belly, pincers- er, "claw-thingies" crossed in clear exasperation. A faint golden light bled into his paper walls, signaling the start of a new day. The panda got up after Mantis graciously hopped off his stomach and brushed himself off.

"Sooo..."

"So."

Mantis was still looking at him expectantly. Honestly, it sent chills down the Dragon Warrior's spine. Po scratched his head lightly. He took the time to ponder and assume. Had he done something wrong? Please say that he didn't do something wrong already... The Dragon Warrior could keep track of only so much of his bodacious self-conscious actions.

"What? I'm not even going to get a simple 'Thank you so very much for saving my fur'?" Mantis's eyes sparkled humorously. "Seems like someone here is getting a little too comfortable with hanging around with us."

"Wait a minute. You want me to thank you for waking me up? Why?"

Just then, the morning gong sounded. Of course. Mantis was just doing Po a favor and woke him up before Shifu got to him first. The green insect hopped back to the front of his room just as everyone else shot up out of theirs. The panda flashed him a thankful smile, and he returned it with a small grin of his own. Po and the Furious Four all collectively said their "Good morning Master Shifu" benedictions towards the red panda standing down at the end of the hallway. The warmly welcomed master greeted them with equal compassion before starting his planned conversation for the morning.

"Ah. It would seem that our Dragon Warrior has finally woken up to the sound of the morning gong. And on time to make things even better. I am pleased that you have been able to accomplish such a monstrous feat today."

Shifu's tone had a slight mirth to it, but his professional outlook unfortunately contradicted his casual tone. The panda didn't know what the elderly red panda was feeling at the moment (reading his emotions was like reading a scroll in total darkness), so he decided to play it safe and just smiled back in appreciation for being recognized. Mantis winked at Po, leaving the other members of the Furious Four slightly confused when they noticed the subtle expression coming from the insect. Brushing the minor abnormality aside, the rest of them decided to not put too much concern on the matter.

"Since you managed to wake up normally this one time, I expect you to further uphold your morning schedule for as long as you live just like the rest of us have been doing, Panda."

"Ummmm..." Po twiddled his thumbs nervously. Oh great. What had he gotten himself into now?

"Is something wrong?"

Master Shifu's steely blue eyes locked with his, and the poor Dragon Warrior visibly shriveled; the panda felt as if he were as insignificant as a gnat under his interrogative stare. The red panda looked like he was enjoying this a little more than a normal master should have, almost to a comically sadistic level. "Do you not consider yourself worthy enough to be waking up in a morning greeted by praise instead of a punishment?"

"Er- No Master! I'm totally okay with waking up this early- I mean-, on time!"

Shifu finally showed a grin at Po's obvious discomfort and the Furious Four snickered as discreetly as they could.

"Excellent then Panda. As for today, we'll put off morning meditation. That goes for all of you. Eat your breakfast, then meet me at the Hall of Heroes for a special mission. And no squealing in excitement like a cub, Dragon Warrior; you have a reputation to maintain." At this, everyone else let out a chuckle, giving up on restraining themselves anymore. It seems that Po, ever the popular bear, was unfortunately the unanimous center of attention at this time. Unanimous, as in only the poor panda was left without a say in the matter.

"Awwww man! But it's been forever since we last got to do something like this!"

"No Panda," commanded Shifu sternly with one of his eyebrows twitching, "I will not tolerate another student-induced migraine for as long as I am the Grandmaster of the Jade Palace. Enjoy your breakfast. Make sure the five of you eat enough to fill yourselves but don't go over the top. I include that last part for some certain masters. No, Monkey, you assumed that it was the Dragon Warrior I was referencing, but I never said that. Moving on, this next assignment might just need all the energy you can muster."

And with that, the elderly red panda bowed formally, turned around and proceeded to exit the Student Barracks in order find a way to occupy himself until the five warriors were ready. They all looked at each other nervously, each one reflecting each other's anticipation over the recent news. The last time Master Shifu said something similar to that, they were all sent out in order to confront Lord Shen in Gongmen City. And they were all very well acquainted with how pleasant those culminations of events were.

It didn't exactly go too well (understatement of the dynasty). At least, not the physical aspect on each of their bodies as the peacock's cannons left quite the mark on them. For example, Crane still had a couple of singed feathers that still need time to properly grow back while Monkey could still make agonizingly obnoxious cracking sounds with his ribs if he twisted them a certain way.

Po, in order to lighten up the situation, chuckled sheepishly and said, "Guess our mini-vacation had to end sometime or another. Right, guys?"

They all nodded reluctantly in response. The panda decided that it was time to expedite things. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. "Enough of that now," stated the Dragon Warrior in a tone that invited no argument, "let's try enjoy what little free time we have left. Starting with breakfast!" Po smiled broadly as he said this, and his joyfulness couldn't help but to travel contagiously to the other four warriors. Though the conversation was attempting to sound light-hearted, the feeling of tension in the air was not unnoticed by any of them.

Viper sighed as they all went to the kitchen to await Po's breakfast dish for the morning.

"I guess it can't be helped to not have a longer break. It's our obligation to protect the Valley of Peace and the provinces around us, and we mustn't let the citizens of China down... Still have burn marks on my scales from Shen's cannon though. Anyways, what's on the menu for today?"

* * *

AHHHH- I SWEAR HE DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! Please don't- Urgkhh! *thud* Ughhhh..."

Duanpao was firmly pressed against a rough and stony wall. The various chips along it were digging into his back, causing it to bleed from the violent lacerations, but his assailant certainly didn't seem to care. His short legs and nimble tail were dangling uselessly in front of him as they were all synchronously broken as if his attacker had plenty of experience with these sadistic techniques. He had no strength left in him left, though there wasn't much inside his tiny frame to even begin with. The rat was exhausted from the strain he forced upon himself to deliver the assassination contract as soon as possible.

When he arrived, this was the last thing that the rodent could have ever expected. He was at the complete mercy of the tormentor who was the one to disable his limbs, and was currently in the worst possible scenario.

Through the haze of red that threatened to obscure his vision and cloud his cognitive anatomy, the rat was able to thrust out a few desperate words through his choking frame.

"I- *cough* I can explain! I'm sure he plans on paying you all of that money once the job is finished! It's just... *shiver* that he's an extremely busy man and most likely, he didn't realize that you expected half of the money before you started the job!" Duanpao was breathing heavily at this point, spent on all his efforts. It even hurt to inhale with the amount of pressure his tormentor was applying on his thin body.

"Well then, that just won't work now will it?" Cold, calculating amber eyes glared at the helpless rodent, and the eyes seemed to pierce through Duanpao's very soul.

The Red Death had her index and middle finger pinning the poor rat by his jugular to the rocky wall of the cave that she was temporarily resting in. When he noticed the feline's murderous reaction to the scroll he was sent to deliver, he wasted no time in making a cowardly break for the exit, and thus ended up with his now broken appendages. Obviously, his plot to escape was sloppy, uncoordinated, and an overall failure. The orange-furred assassin glared at him with the contempt clear in her pupils barely showing underneath her hood.

"Honestly. Messengers are so skittish nowadays. I wasn't going to hurt you. At least, not to this extent, but it seems that you've forced my hand, so to speak."

The atmosphere of the cave was eerily quiet as the tigress waited for a response to come from her trapped victim. Her cave was dimly lit with a slowly dying fireplace in the center with waves slowly emerging and receding from the sandbar. The assassin was finally back in the country of China, on its eastern coast directly across from her recent contract that implored her to go to Taiwan. It felt good to be back in her home country, even if she never truly found a place to call home in the massive country.

The rat gulped in air desperately, which brought the feline back to reality and away from her wandering thoughts.

The tigress eased her grip ever so slightly to allow the rat to have circulation flow through his lungs once more. Sometimes, she would forget that her strength was hard to control no matter how many times she tried to restrain herself from such impulses. Instead of trying to resist her natural abilities, it was something she learned to embrace ever since she was a cub. Back in Bao Gu Orphanage, the tigress used to cry in her room, scared of her own deadly potential, but until she realized that she could get others to fear her was she finally convinced that her claws and ferocity were there for her benefit. Man, was she glad to have escaped from that living hell.

Duanpao took in large amounts of air while the tigress maintained her steely and apathetic gaze towards him. The feeble rat gulped nervously before replying.

"I- I'm terribly sorry for this M- Miss Red Death, but that's all he has to offer for now. If you let me go now, I promise I'll do my best to p- persuade him to double the reward." Duanpao was making no more attempts to conceal his sense of fear that was rising exponentially.

"Really now?" Red Death's tone sounded extremely incredulous, almost to the brink of sarcasm. "And just how confident are you in ensuring that I will eventually get what I want?"

Duanpao stammered incoherently, struggling to articulate his words. The assassin only nodded in a deadpan manner. She should have expected as much from an ignorant courier.

"I see... I shouldn't be so surprised. I know from experience that it is... agonizingly hard to convince that stubborn bandit leader of yours, but I'll be willing to accept this contract he has offered me.

That rat seemed to relaxed greatly after that. It didn't show very well as most of his limbs were already in a moribund state. The Red Death continued, not even noticing the rodent's relieved expression He wasn't going to get let off the hook so easily. Not if the cheated assassin had any say in the matter.

"To be truthful, I was already going to take this assassination contract; it's not everyday that someone has the guts to place a 'kill' statement on China's most revered 'Dragon Warrior'. Imagine how much more notorious I'll be if I take down the 'Legend' himself. I was merely trying to get a better deal on the yuan reward, even though it was already enough to set me up for the rest of my life. Can't blame a feline for trying to take advantage of the situation, no?"

Duanpao rapidly shook his head from side to side empathetically, eager to appease his torturer. The tigress let out a miniature smile underneath her mask, but the rat obviously could not see it. The messenger spoke timidly, and his voice was high-pitched from anxiety.

"S-So am I free to go now, Miss?"

"Miss? How quaint..." The orange feline stared off towards the entrance of the cave as if she were pondering the idea of letting the rat go. Duanpao's eyes glittered hopefully. Red Death then sharply turned her head towards him, causing him to squeak in surprise. She unsheathed her claws and retracted them back into their respective sockets, savoring the small whimpers that emitted from the ever-horrified rodent.

"Well... I would let you go, but there is that one problem regarding half of the payment being delivered to me just for taking up the contract. As we can both tell..."

The Red Death still restrained the rat to the wall while reaching for the scroll that lay sprawled across the floor near her. She grasped it and read it out loud for Duanpao to hear.

"Ahem. Okay, here's what your leader told me, word for word. 'I will graciously and without question pay you two-million yuan when I receive news of the Dragon Warrior's death.' The rest of the things listed on this scroll are just details, but here's the problem. I've worked for your bandit leader before. And he knows how I operate. Pay me up front half of the money just for attempting to do it, and give me the rest once the deed is done."

Duanpao flinched. He did not think that he would like the outcome of what would happen next.

"Apparently, he has 'forgotten' how I go about assassination contracts. Convenient. That means you were suppposed to give me one-million yuan on your way in here. It seems it's a little too suspicious that your leader, if I remember right, was a figure with firm beliefs and an endless memory, suddenly forgot to pay me such a large amount after we have already met before. I'm starting to wonder if this is a scam. What do you think rat? Hmmm? Is your tiger bandit leader trying to slip something past me?"

The messenger rat started trembling again. It looked pitiful, as most of his limbs were rendered useless and he looked like a vibrating puff-ball, but the feline only pressed her two fingers deeper into his neck as a warning, causing him to choke temporarily.

"Answer me rat! Does this leader of yours even have the money on him! What is he trying to pull! Huh?! Well let's hear it!"

"I- *cough, cough* I'm not sure! I'm just a messenger that was told to deliver that document to you! That's all I know. I swear it!"

"Alright then," the assassin said icily, "I guess he wants me to make a gamble of fortune... Fine. If that's how he wants things to work. Although I doubt he'll claim retribution when I do THIS-"

The orange tigress, with a brutal amount of effort, pressed her entire paw on the severely weakened rat. Duanpao was now being crushed entirely to the side of the wall. His spine groaned in protest, begging for the compression to cease. The pain never ended to comply with te spine's needs. Duanpao screeched in agony and discomfort. Red Death merely watched with unblinking eyes and slightly ringing ears from the unearthly shrieks being pried from the rodent's vocal chords as his struggles were inevitably getting weaker and weaker by the second.

"You don't have to worry about me not taking up the assassination contract," began Red Death formally, almost sounding unmoved by the whole ordeal, "There's no way in hell that I'll ever pass up an opportunity like this. Even if it could be a complete waste of time in the end. I might also be on the constant lookout for a crossbow bolt aimed in between my eyes afterwards, but the reputation I'll get will certainly make me the most-feared assassin in all of China. If I do this, I'll be able to put even the Wu-Sisters' legacy to shame. But..."

The tigress then pushed with all her strength on the rat that was gasping and squealing ferally at this point. His screams were suddenly cut off as one of his ribs were fractured and was pushed in enough that it cleanly pierced him through his heart, permanently extinguishing the sad flame of that represented his life.

The Red Death looked at the corpse that now lay slumped on the side of the wall, dead not only in her eyes but now to everyone else as well. She placed the assassination scroll deep within her cloak. It would definitely be a symbol of hope for her in the coming times in case she ever doubted herself. Though her moments of questioning her own morals were not very likely, it was still better to be safe than sorry.

The orange-furred assassin nimbly walked out of her cave. It was noon around now, and the vibrant colors of the ocean caught her attention for a split second before she shook her head and moved on. She didn't even bother to put out the fireplace in the cave. If it burned out, it burned out. If it caused a major disaster, heck, at least she would be far away from it. Red Death never bothered to come back to any specific locations anyway.

She checked herself for all her weapons before nodding to herself in satisfaction. The feline left the grim setting of her cave-turned-tomb, and set her eyes towards the general direction of the Valley of Peace, already having moved on from killing the messenger rat. Her priorities were set, and the Legendary Dragon Warrior was eventually going to meet her blade. One way or another. After all, she's never failed a single assassination contact before in her life. Why start now?

* * *

The tiger bandit leader was patrolling around the encampment. He was accompanied by an "officer" crocodile within their ranks of bandits. They were making their usual rounds, not really caring where they were going. Well, the orange tiger didn't. The officer croc was simply following him because the leader had demanded- er, "asked" so. His boar second-in-command was currently "out in the field" finding ways to increase the hideout's income along with an expedition of several other bandits.

The bandit leader suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His companion narrowly missed bumping into him, but he luckily avoided contact with the temperamental feline. The officer opened his jaw, then closed it. He was unsure of what to do right now. The tiger was staring at something only he could see, and he seemed completely lost in thought. He flexed his claws as if they were suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his paws.

The croc inhaled largely and let it out slowly. He opened his jaw, pondered something for a bit, then closed it again. The croc officer then seemed to change his mind, with the bandit leader being completely oblivious to his inner predicament. If the crocodile was going die just for making sure their leader was alright, then he should not have been promoted to an officer in the first place. Right?

"Sir. Is something the matter?"

The feline leader gave him a look, but thankfully it was not one that was filled with menace. It was simply a passive glance, signaling that the tiger was in a normal mood for the day. At least, as normal as the tiger could ever get. Much to the croc's surprise, he even chose to respond to his question. Okay. Maybe the tiger was feeling a little sociable. There was a first time for everything it seems.

"You ever get the feeling that you've just messed something up and sent the worst possible person to remedy the situation?"

"Err, no. I have never experienced that particular... phenomenon before sir."

"Hmmm. I'm almost positive that the most recent messenger that I sent is dead. It's not that I don't think he's the type of guy that'll live... But I don't think that he's the type of guy that'll live. Something about messengers and death just clicks perfectly to me, as if they were made for each other... Wouldn't you agree?"

"Of course sir."

"Good. If you didn't, I would have lynched you by your eyelids. I'm just throwing that random statement out there for no specifiable reason whatsoever. Spread that threat- no, promise around to everyone that seems to be developing thoughts of opposing me in advance or something equally as mutinous. You are dismissed. Have a great rest of the day, Officer."

And with that, the tiger bandit leader strolled off, his facial expression as emotionless and reserved as ever. The croc behind him had his eyes widened in surprise before he quickly closed his drooping jaw again and went back to his rounds. Man, he was extremely lucky that his leader was in a good mood today.

* * *

"So, what's on the agenda? Kidnappers? Thieves? Another power-crazy avian wanting to conquer all of China?" Mantis was clearly saying this all in good fun, but Crane looked slightly offended whenever the insect implied that his species was obsessed with control.

The Hall of Heroes looked just as it had ever looked before, aside from a fresh floor waxing courtesy of the staff that occasionally worked there. The entirety of the place was undoubtedly magnificent and positively radiated an aura of respect and dedication after it was graciously offered as a reward for the late Grandmaster Oogway, creator of Kung Fu. He will still be missed, no matter how long time passes, as the Jade Palace will forever immortalize his memory. Po and the others were gathered around the pool that lay at the very end of the Hall, with Master Shifu facing them all.

They had all gathered there after finishing their morning meal and all were awaiting orders from their master. Some choice few were more eager than others to receive a new mission, but it was impossible to tell, given their neutral and relaxed exterior features. The time was just barely prior to noon, and most of everyone in the Valley of Peace would be up and about around now. After a brief moment of instinctive greetings followed by a silence, Shifu finally let go of the breath he had self-consciously been holding in and spoke to his students.

"I'll just get straight to the point from here on out. Sugar-coating what I'm about to say will only burden you five. Things are not looking good right now. I have received word from the authorities of Anxiang Village that there have been an uprising of bandit attacks over the past few months. Oddly enough, it seems that they have been more organized than normal and are specifically targeting Anxiang itself. That village is relatively near our valley, which leads to some future concerns. To get to the village, just find the stream that exists near our valley and follow its path downstream until you see various wooden huts and the like."

Monkey was about to ask a question, but Viper beat him to the punch courtesy of her inquisitive nature and asked it for the simian.

"Master Shifu, do you know the reason WHY exactly these bandits are specifically targeting Anxiang Village only?"

"Very astute Master Viper." Monkey frowned when Shifu praised her while the snake herself winked knowingly at the golden simian, careful not to let the elderly red panda catch on to her mischievous tactics.

"These organized bandits are robbing places that are prospering economically, and as Anxiang is also commonly nicknamed as the 'Village of Trade and Merchandise', it'd be logical for those miscreants to set their priorities there."

Po, simply being himself as usual, looked slightly disconcerted. "Uhh, wouldn't it be better if those guys tried to rob our valley instead? I mean, just look at this hallway..." The panda made a big effort to gesture at all the priceless artifacts the Jade Palace had within it. "Don't you think they'd want to steal some of this cool ancient stuff? NOT that I've had thoughts of selling the Urn of Whispering Warriors or anything like that. Heheh."

Monkey, who was standing next to the panda, whacked him softly on the back of his head with his tail. The panda flinched and then looked at him with a slightly put-off expression on his face. "I'm pretty sure that all bandits, no matter how dumb or desperate they are, would not just waltz into a palace that is guarded by five masters AND the Dragon Warrior himself to rob everything in there. Just saying."

"Oh yeah. Must have slipped my mind..."

Everyone else rolled their eyes at the Dragon Warrior's ignorance while Master Shifu face-palmed himself. He mentally counted to five before continuing. Geez. He was way too old to deal with this.

"Anyways, the bandits have started to become more and more persistent in their raids. It has gotten so out of hand that the rhino guards there have their forces split up. That is because they are not only trying to focus on the intruding bandits, but also to attempt to deal with their usual other problems as well. Obviously, it hasn't worked that well. The residents of Anxiang Village need our immediate assistance. These 'bandits', if they are still calling themselves that, are far more controlled among their groups than I would like." I personally have suspicions of what

"Is there any group of bandits that you would like in the first place, Shifu?" The Dragon Warrior asked this rhetorically. Shifu waved away his question dismissively, refusing to admit that the panda was accidentally correct for once.

"I personally have suspicions of what contingent they belong to, but I want the five of you to go down to that village and put a stop to the raids all the while finding out what you can. Any more questions before you go?"

The Furious Four and the Dragon Warrior shook their heads collectively.

"Good. May the best of fortune be with you on your way there and during your stay. I'd also recommend packing lightly. And no snack-stops this time Panda. Time is of the utmost importance here."

"Oh come on," pouted the Dragon Warrior miserably, "I practically died of starvation last time on the way to Gongmen City..."

Master Shifu twitchd his large ear once in brief annoyance before exiting the Hall of Heroes through the main entrance. The five warriors that were left in the Hall of Heroes were met with an eerie quiet after the large doors shut after the red panda's absence. Po looked at the Furious Four. They all returned the stare, expecting him to say something. The Dragon Warrior did not disappoint.

"Hang on. Was he actually being serious about the 'no snacks' thing?" The horrified look on the panda's face was comical.

Viper and Crane sighed, understanding their master's irritation while Mantis and Monkey giggled childishly. The Furious Four all replied the same way.

"Yes, Po. He was serious."

"..." Po pondered that statement for a brief moment. He then sighed dejectedly.

"Darn... Guess I'd better go pack then. I'll meet you all at the courtyard entrance..."

Viper then decided to throw her two cents worth in just as the panda was about to leave the Hall of Heroes. "And no trying to smuggle dumplings in your pockets this time Po!"

"I only did that once! Give me a break!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: I keep telling myself to just meet the 3000 words quota, but I'm slowly going way beyond that. (This chapter was four-thousandish words long). Oh well, it's all the better for you readers out there to wait for these extended chapters! Anyways, I'll talk to you all again next week! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Btw, I treasure every single review I get, whether it be positive or negative. (Okay, maybe not so much on the negative side, but you know what I mean.) Chapter 4!**

* * *

Crane, Monkey, Viper, and Mantis were all waiting patiently at the courtyard gates for the Dragon Warrior to arrive. It didn't really surprise any of the Furious Four when the Dragon Warrior was obviously the last one to show up at their designated area. Crane only ruffled his feathers in slight annoyance.

"Alright. It's been nearly thirty minutes since we were supposed to leave the Jade Palace already. What's taking Po so long?" Crane looked at the others, expecting a response to meet his question. None came, much to the avian's disappointment. They were all just as puzzled as he was regarding the panda's tardiness. Viper merely shrugged (or rather, shrugged as best as a snake could do within her anatomy).

"Don't look at me," stated the master of viper style, "I specifically told him not to over-encumber himself with food this time. It's not my fault if Po's stomach speaks louder than his sense of duty."

All members of the Furious Four sighed in a defeated manner. Master Shifu really needed to work on the Dragon Warrior's discipline sometime or another. Mantis spoke up in order to pass the time.

"You guys just wanna leave and let Po catch up with us? My legs have got the pins-and-needles from standing still for so long."

Monkey eagerly responded as he too came up with the idea. "Totally! Consider our head-start as even more sprint training for the 'Dragon Warrior'." The primate winked mischievously and put up air quotes while he replied. It was then that the Furious Four all heard the sound of heavy footsteps accompanied by an even louder sound of forced breathing.

"I- *pant* I'm here! *pant* The Legendary Dragon Warrior- *pant* is here to save the day!"

Po, who looked like he had just accomplished an impossible feat, instantly deflated when he saw the not-so-pleased facial expressions of everyone else. The Furious Four all had raised eyebrows with a hint of a disbelieving smirk. Viper then proceeded to examine her tail nonchalantly and replaced her usual gentle tone into something more serious in order to concentrate on their given mission.

"I don't even want to know what's in your pack Po. I have a pretty good feeling that I'll be able to guess pretty accurately. Let's just head on out now. Anxiang Village awaits us."

The Dragon Warrior sulked inwardly but still complied. Mantis hopped on his shoulder to give him a reassuring pat on his head. They all walked out of the courtyard doors with Crane in the lead. The five warriors all traveled down the one-thousand steps without much conversation, each one consumed in their own thoughts. The silence was rather enjoyable as they trekked down the seemingly endless steps. At least, to a certain panda, the steps seemed infinite.

Eventually, all of the warriors made their way down without too much effort. They would have been on their way out of the Valley of Peace had they not been stopped by an elderly goose with a hat made of tan-colored yarn and chopsticks that represented a bowl of noodles.

"Po!"

The panda didn't even have a chance to speak before he was rushed from in front of him. Mr. Ping, the Dragon Warrior's recently learned adoptive father, but a father nevertheless, looked up at him with pleading eyes. Po, being well accustomed to the gray goose's antics of persuasion, tried to look away from his worried expression. The Furious Four looked on knowingly but chose not to interfere. There was nothing like the fury of an angry noodle chef, especially from the one that ran the ever popular "Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu" all by himself for the entire day with no breaks.

"Why are you leaving so soon again? It hasn't even been an entire month since Lord Shen yet! Must you go on such short notice like last time?"

Po brought himself to gaze into his father's eyes. Big mistake. Mr. Ping was giving Po a look that was very similar to a "puppy-eyes" look. The Legendary Dragon Warrior's resolve vanished immediately at the sight of his father that was a manipulative demon in disguise. Po sighed for a long time before replying.

"Yes, Dad... I guess that Master Shifu has already told you of where I'm going then huh?" Mr. Ping nodded wordlessly, his noodle hat bobbing empathetically along with his head movements. Po sighed even longer than his previous one, which was actually something he should have been proud of.

"Look Dad, I know that you worry about me, but this won't be as big as a problem as you-know-who. I promise. This will only be an investigation. At most, I might have to take down a couple bandits, but you know that I can take care of myself. Don't you? I've also got that new 'Inner Peace' thing that I've been perfecting if that makes you feel any better."

The Furious Four all nodded in agreement to Po's words. It was then that Mr. Ping finally let go, if a bit reluctantly, of his son. He still looked plenty uneasy though. He wrung his feathers together and did not seem to be able to stay in one spot. As the goose constantly paced left and right, Monkey rolled his eyes impatiently and earned himself a discreet, but a painful tail slap to the back of his head from Viper.

"Po, are you sure that these bandits are the same as all the others? Master Shifu said that they seem to be way more controlled and organized than say, Fung and his band of crocs."

"Of course Dad. Bandits aren't known for their sense of control and self-restraint. I'm sure that it's all just big talk and that the guards at Anxiang Village are overworking themselves, which I can totally relate to, me being the totally bodacious Dragon Warrior and all. That's all it is, I'm sure of it. With any luck, these new bandits will be sharing a cell with Fung and his gang once we're through with them. Right guys?" Po turned around to silently plead for their support while his back was turned to the goose.

Crane, Viper, and Mantis smiled reassuringly while Monkey gave Mr. Ping a thumbs-up with confidence.

Mr. Ping then stopped his anxious pacing and faced his son. Po did the same, meeting the eyes of the father that had raised him practically since birth. His stare was so intense that Po himself had to blink a couple times in mild shock. Was this goose really the same one that worried about not having enough wings to be able to serve all of his customers during the lunch rush?

"Okay then son. I trust you to do what needs to be done. Just please. Come back safely. If this task Master Shifu assigned to you is worth your main priority and enough to send the entire Furious Four, then these bandits must not be taken too lightly. You hear?"

"Loud and clear Dad. Hey, once I come back I promise I'll help you with whatever you need in the kitchen, okay?"

"Okay son... Now go. Go before I get too emotional and change my mind."

Po smiled at his father and proceeded to continue on with the assigned mission. The Furious Four nodded politely at Mr. Ping, and Crane placed a sympathetic wing on his fellow avian before following the rest of his friends. Mr. Ping could only watch helplessly as the five warriors walked further and further away from him. It looked like he wanted to say something else before the were out of ear-shot, but he was interrupted when he heard a voice shout,

"Oi! Where ye at Ping! I need another bowl of your secret-ingredient noodle soup! Get your amazing-ass cooking skills in here 'fore I forfeit the large tip that I'll pay you after!"

Mr. Ping glanced once more at where the protectors of the Valley of Peace used to stand before answering.

"Er- I'll be right there in a second sir!"

The elderly goose readjusted his hat and waddled back into his noodle shop all the while muttering about raising the price of his special tofu dessert and of the audacity of his overly assertive customers.

* * *

"Whew. That was too close for comfort. I have to be more careful when out in the open like this..."

Red Death peeked her masked and hooded face from above a dense set of foliage. A merchant carriage lazily passed by her in the bamboo forest she was currently traveling through. The geese and bunnies that were pulling it were idly chatting with one another, unaware of how close they had come to dying right where they were, if they managed to accidentally detect a certain feline. Fortunately, Red Death had considered it more expedient to prowl through China in an incognito state, rather than having its citizens panic about the reappearance of sudden killings.

The tigress was glad that there was a suitable place for her to hide. She didn't want to have to bloody her cleverly concealed weapons just yet before she reached her target. Speaking of which, she pulled out the assassination contract underneath her cloak and read through its contents once again. In her assassin way of life, there was never a point where you had sufficient data to analyze about the target. The tigress's crimson-red eyes scanned through the parchment and continued to walk down her planned route once she was sure the chatter of the oblivious merchants long faded into the distance opposite from her current direction.

 ** _ASSASSINATION CONTRACT (Issued to: THE RED DEATH)_**

 ** _Target: The Dragon Warrior_**

 ** _Alias/Name: Po Ping_**

 ** _Species: Giant Panda_**

 ** _Family: None - adopted by a goose who goes by "Mr. Ping"_**

 ** _Residence:_**

 ** _-The Valley of Peace, more specifically, the Jade Palace  
-The "Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu" shop_**

 ** _Relationships:_**

 ** _-Very popular among all of China (A shame he has to die. Not.)  
_** ** _-Him and the Emperor even go as far as to get together like they're old buddies. (At least, according to what I've heard.)  
-Well respected by everyone.  
-Idolized by children.  
-(Okay. I'm sure you get the picture by now. He's a self-righteous angel and practically a mortal god. Yada yada yada, the Dragon Warrior is everyone's hero, damn it.)  
-Student of Grandmaster Shifu.  
-Strong allies with the Furious Four.  
-No girlfriend(s) surprisingly. (Do with that as you will.)  
-Whatever. I'm sure you've heard plenty about the Dragon Warrior. I'm just filling this out because this document calls for it. Just kill him. My life (and maybe yours as well to a certain extent) will probably be a lot easier once he's out of the way. Permanently._**

 ** _Combat Skills:_**

 ** _-Bear style Kung Fu (heavily modified for his obvious figure and is also his primary usage.)  
-A mixture of Crane, Monkey, Viper, and Mantis Style Kung Fu as well.  
-Can use Tiger Style, but is only as a last resort as he does not fight too well with it._**

 ** _Height: 6' 7''_**

 ** _Weight: (For your sake Red Death, I'll just not burden you with this. Try not to get sit on by him when going in for the kill.)_**

 ** _Miscellaneous Useful Facts (since you're going after the Dragon Warrior, I might as well be generous in providing you some info that may help you fulfill this assassination.):_**

 ** _-The Dragon Warrior is a bitch for seduction. The Ladies of the Shade have proven that much. (How you utilize this info is your call.)  
-Defeater of Tai-Lung  
-Defeater of Lord Shen (I'm still pissed about that.)  
_** ** _-Possibly could say horrible catch-phrases before attacking (dodge when you hear something like "Skadoosh!")  
-Is ambidextrous  
-Lowers his guard around food (I'm not entirely sure whether or not this chunk is accurate. My spies could be just trying to fill in the information quota that I set on the Dragon Warrior over the threat of dismemberment for all I know.)  
-Spends most of his time training in the Jade Palace  
-Frequently visits the noodle shop during the weekends_**

 ** _Reward for Assassination: 2,000,000 yuan_**

 ** _*Apologies for the informality of this document, Red Death. I consider us as "friends", so I hope you don't mind. Actually, friends is a bit of a stretch. Acquaintances works better in this... Anyways. As you can see, I don't do this shit very often. As for my final benedictions... Don't screw this up._**

 ** _Signed-  
"Z"_**

The Red Death swished her striped tail in irritation. The assassination contract still made her annoyed at how uncaring the tiger bandit leader seemed to be. The previous time she had worked for him was to eliminate an entire family that threatened to expose his identity to the superintendents of China. She probably should have let them carry on, as she too had a slight curiosity as to know what the elusive leader's name and background story was. Oh well. It was too late to change the past now. Red Death shook her head when she remembered all the innocent children in the now deceased family.

She had acted relentlessly on a contract and a hefty bonus in yuan, but the tigress still could not pull down the feeling of remorse that traveled deep down within her conscience. The poor children that faithful night did not deserve to die. Maybe the parents, but the orange feline only felt a cold, stony reassurance from that statement. Red Death shook her head lightly and punched a nearby bamboo tree, causing its leaves to fall down subsequently. The assassin took several breaths to recompose herself.

Once she controlled her emotions, the tigress walked steadily on. She set her regretful gaze into a hard glare of determination. The Red Death glanced once more at the scroll that held so many opportunities for her in the future before rolling it back up and placing it securely back in her cloak. The document rested near her set of throwing knives, which inconspicuously gleamed in a deadly manner underneath her clothing.

The tigress then looked at the slowly receding sun behind her. Sunset was arriving quickly in the region of China that she was in.

 _"Damn,"_ thought the feline, _"_ _I'd better set up a shelter soon."_ Red Death then looked around with her keen eyesight. She managed to pinpoint an abandoned hut that was just within her line of vision and made steadily made her way to it. Her tail flicked from side to side in satisfaction. She walked on in cold silence on her way there, but she was used to it. Hearing any form of noise that wasn't related to the ambiance of the environments usually meant that someone was trying to out-assassin her. Obviously, it didn't go too well for any who tried to claim a bounty or contract on her.

 _"I need to collect my thoughts,"_ mused The Red Death in her mind, _"There are too many things that I have to take into consideration right now. I have to clear my mind and focus on one thing at a time."_

When the feline arrived at the hut, she scouted the area for any traps or stalkers hoping for easy pickings. Sometimes, it paid off to be paranoid, but unfortunately, this was not one of those times. The area was entirely safe aside from a couple ditches in the ground and the occasional sharp scythes that lay sprawled around the hut. The Red Death assumed that the area was most definitely a failed attempt at farming and was abandoned because of the lack of progress. Regardless, the hut would help keep her safe from the elements at night.

Red Death entered timidly into the hut. Everything was empty inside of it, aside from a lantern that looked like it had some oil in it left. No sound was heard inside the small enclosure, so the tigress finally made herself comfortable once she became fully cognizant of her temporary surroundings.

"At least the previous landowners were smart enough to take pretty much everything that they had with them. This place is almost as empty as the corpse of that water buffalo I disemboweled a while ago," said Red Death aloud to no one in particular. Normally, the assassin would go for quick and clean kills but the buffalo was an exception due to the fact that she acted out of her anger. The tigress reflected back on the memory of her not-so-clean kill. She took up that contract around two years prior to the current day in China.

The contract then was to just end him for political purposes, but Red Death had found him wallowing in his misery and self-hatred alone and isolated at a tavern that closed a few hours before. He was drunk and delirious, so the tigress took pity on him and decided to go for a swift puncture through his jugular. Normally, the contract would have been fulfilled right then and there, but due to an impossible streak of luck, the carabao managed to block the dagger that was headed for his laryngeal prominence and put the ever surprised assassin in quite the compromising and quite suggestive arm lock. Red Death had let out a barely audible gasp of surprise at the time.

The feline was too shocked to have even considered the possibility of the intoxicated water buffalo being a threat, so she just stayed there idly not realizing what the target would do next. The water buffalo mumbled something incomprehensible, but the assassin could have sworn that he was attempting to whisper arousing thoughts into her mind. Red Death was just about to come to her senses when the buffalo slowly slid his hoof underneath her garments as well as undergarments. It was then the assassin was brought to reality and proceeded to brutally eviscerate him. To think, the water buffalo had almost gone straight into her... well, you know.

Red Death blinked at her sudden remembrance of the past event, but pushed it aside and lit the lantern. Once its warm glow illuminated the entire hut, it was just around nighttime. She pulled out a wicked looking dagger from the heel of one of her boots and examined it. It was the same one that she had used in her act of blind rage and removal of the internal organs of a certain long-gone carabao. It was a whole lot cleaner and less bloody than when she had encountered that testosterone-induced water buffalo.

The tigress did not really sleep, as sleep made one vulnerable. She learned how to cope with fatigue by doing what she was right now. Resting, but never truly closing her eyes. There were previous times when the comforting embrace of slumber would torture her for days on end, but she eventually overcame that basic animal impulse. These nights, The Red Death usually busied herself by checking her inventory and coming up with a plan of attack. Quite literally, in the assassin's case.

The striped feline pulled out her throwing knives and assassination contract out of her cloak. Her masked face revealed no emotion as she did this. Making sure her weapons were in fine condition was now something that became more like a force of habit for the assassin at nighttime. She leaned against a wall of the hut, checking her knives' luster with the assistance of the lantern light in the center. They were as shiny as ever, so she put them down on the floor next to her. It was now time to pull out her daggers. Emphasis on the "s" in daggers.

Red Death reached for the dagger in her right heel as the one in her left had already been taken out. The tigress then pulled two others out of her cloak. All four daggers were identical to each other in shape and durability, so she put those aside as well. The feline also reached into her cloak again to pull out a small pouch. She opened it to find everything that was supposed to be in there to be in their expected places.

Her first-aid supplies were almost never used, but she held on to them just in case. Within the pouch was also a decent amount of smoke bombs. Again, she rarely used them as her stealth proved to be more useful over blindly running away under the cover of a thick layer of phosphorous, but there was no such thing as over-preparing. At least, in the world of the assassin, there wasn't. Finally, she reached for the last weapon that carefully lay in a part in her cloak where she was sure she wouldn't unintentionally break it.

It was a pin, about two and a half inches long and almost invisible in terms of its width. It may have seemed irrelevant compared to her other weapons, but this one had a deadly surprise. The inside of it was narrowly hollowed out and filled with toxins so that whenever the feline had a chance to throw it at someone, the pin would splinter in their skin and release its chemicals within the victim's body. Making these pins were a long and difficult process, but whenever the tigress got around to doing it, it would be well worth it to eliminate the target effortlessly.

Right now, The Red Death had only one poisoned pin. Instead of setting it next to the others, she tucked it back into her cloak and decided to call it a night. She merely closed her eyes in meditation. The fire from the lantern crackled quietly, and it caused the shadows covering the assassin's face to dance ominously across her features. A hint of stripes could be seen on her forehead, but nothing was visible underneath her mask. As the orange feline prioritized her goals, she felt the weight of the pin getting more and more prominent within her cloak.

She pushed it off as just her simple feelings of anticipation and maybe even a slight apprehension.

After all, the pin was indeed a stroke of genius in terms of assassination weapons, but it was so fragile. So easy to misplace or break, which added to just how cautiously one had to handle it. No matter. Red Death was going to get rid of it soon enough. There was no point in keeping a weapon that could potentially harm yourself just as much as the victim in case the metal splintered the wrong way.

Fortunately, Red Death knew of a certain... target... she could try it out on. She smiled genuinely, for the first time in forever.

 _"The Dragon Warrior will never know what'll hit him..."_

* * *

 **Author's Note: So the bandit leader's name starts with a "z"... So many possibilities... Like the longer Red Death scenes? This was just a filler chapter providing more information about this mysterious character. I tried to make it as interesting as possible... (emphasis on tried). Anyway, who do you want to see/read more of? Red Death? The Tiger Bandit leader that goes as "Z"? Or more of Po and the Furious Four? I'll format my future stories based on the moral majority of reviewer opinions, so yea... See ya!**


	5. Chapter 5

**If you guys have an interesting plan of where you want this story to travel, do please inform me. Not that I don't have any idea where I want this story to go, but if I see a good idea that I like, I may tweak it to fit in with my ulterior plot :p. Obviously, I'll give credit to the author/reader for his/her original idea, so don't sweat about not getting acknowledgments where they are due... Anyway, here's chapter 5!**

* * *

"I- *chomp* told you that these were worth bringing Po!- *chomp*"

"Hey! No you didn't! If I remember right, literally everyone else BUT me was against the idea!"

"When have I ever redirected you from your full potential, huh? And don't say 'like right now' or something similar to that! That's cheap!"

"Well you only said that last part only because you know it's true!"

The large moon had cast its light towards a group of five warriors who were all walking towards a single destination. The weather was only partly cloudy, so the moon's brightness aided the group in seeing where they needed to go. They had been walking since the beginning of the day from the Jade Palace courtyard to where they were right now at around midnight. Master Shifu would probably be starting his habitual nightly meditation. Or other "mystical Kung Fu-ey stuff", according to the Dragon Warrior. No one knew for sure what the elderly red panda did when he had no pupils to train.

Mantis and Po were currently engaged in a friendly banter as they walked downriver from the stream that Master Shifu had told them to utilize as a reference. The Furious Four and the Dragon Warrior were nearly there at Anxiang Village. The hike to the village did not take as long as they had anticipated. Even so, there wasn't much to do on the way there which led to Crane idly chatting with Viper and Monkey occasionally joining their conversation. Mantis and the Dragon Warrior were at it neck-and-neck, neither one backing down from the competitive, yet light-hearted exchange of words, meant only to pass the time.

"...Remember when you encouraged me to call Song cute when she and her group visited the Valley the other day?" Po wrapped up his unfinished bean-bun in a thin cloth for later while Mantis worked hard to completely devour his. Funny, it was usually the other way around.

"Yeah? *buuurp* So?"

"Sooooooo," stated the panda with extreme exasperation, "remember what happened afterward?"

"Dude, I was doing you a favor! It's obvious that the snow leopard is way head-over-heels for you! I know it, you know it, everyone knows it!" Mantis crossed his pincers in stubbornness, feeling completely justified in his response.

Po pouted at the green insect and mirrored his posture before replying heatedly, "After that, poor Song couldn't look at me without blushing for days- no, weeks! You know how awkward things get when your friend refuses to even make eye-contact with you and you're just there talking a one-sided conversation? I never wanna go through that again!"

"I'm sure it wasn't THAT bad. Also, no. I don't know what it's like to be ignored by females. I'm just a natural casanova, you know?"

"You're not as smooth as you think you are," teased the panda, "You've been ignored too. Plenty of times. Admit it. It'll be easier for the both of us."

Mantis quirked an eyebrow disbelievingly. The sheer audacity of this Dragon Warrior. A small smirk escaped his forcibly-neutral composure. He knew an opportunity to test the panda's childish instincts when he saw one. "Again. No I don't."

"Again... Yeah you do." The Dragon Warrior rose up to meet his unexpected adversary's challenge without missing a single beat.

"No..."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"..." Mantis was quiet for a while, trying to see what would happen next if the legendary Dragon Warrior didn't have someone to verbally spar with. The silence didn't last as long as the insect expected, for Po seemed perfectly fine with declaring himself as the victor in their mini-argument.

"Yes." The audacity of that panda. Again. To continue a conversation after it has been ended. Mantis, who was falling victim to his own fiery and competitive nature, decided to drop his rapidly crumbling exterior emotions and retaliate with the generally expected response.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"WELL FINE THEN!" Mantis threw out his pincers in utter frustration. There was no way anyone could win against a panda in terms of verbalized warfare. "HOW ABOUT I POKE A PRESSURE POINT ON YOUR THROAT SO YOU'RE DEAD-SILENT FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP!?" In truth, even though Mantis tried to rebuke Po for his childish nonsense, the insect was a little dismayed of how quickly he had lost the argument.

The Dragon Warrior being himself got caught up in the heat of the moment and and replied just as heatedly.

"I DARE YOU! TAKE ONE STEP TOWARDS ME AND YOU'LL GET A FREE TRIP TO SKADOOSH-VILLE! EVEN BETTER, I'LL MAKE A SPECIAL RESERVATION FOR Y- *smack* owwie... Viper... why?" Po rubbed the now throbbing area on his cheek. All the fire that sparked his inner belligerent self had been brought to a halt.

Viper cringed slightly, not realizing the amount of strength that she had put behind her tail slap.

"Sorry Po. You two were just getting a little too... passionate during that. It was starting to become a little too distracting. Remember that we are representing the Valley of Peace whenever we do external missions like this."

"Okay Viper..." The panda made sure to drag out his words to express his reluctance in obeying the snake's orders.

"Excellent. Now if there aren't any more delays, let's keep going. The village can't be too far now."

Crane watched the whole exchange between Po and Viper with amusement. It was surprising just how assertive Viper could sometimes be. Even though the Furious Four never unanimously agreed to have a leader in their group, he felt that the tree snake and himself were the ones that shared the power of commanding the group equally. Crane was the overall mind of their group, planning all their strategies and keeping his composure, no matter how much pressure was forced upon him. Viper was the mother-figure in the group as she was the only female, but she still never shirked off her duties and reined everyone in just in case things got out of control.

Generally, Crane would not interfere when Viper would do her side of their mutual shared leadership and vice-versa. The reptile could be intimidating and scary whenever she pleased as well as being sympathetic and caring. The avian backed off, inwardly glad that Viper was more for the friendlier side of her personality rather than the other. Most of the time anyway. The avian secretly thought that Viper's double-personalities were alluring. To a socially-acceptable extent, of course.

Mantis, now realizing that he had gotten off scot-free from the reprimanding words of Viper, flashed an arrogant smile at the panda. The green insect then hopped onto Monkey's shoulder and missed the Dragon Warrior's glare that was directed solely towards him.

Monkey snickered victoriously while Crane shook his head in mock disappointment. A miniature smile was still present on his long beak as he did this though. The five warriors walked in comfortable quietness after that. Only the sound of pebbles being skidded on by heavy panda feet and the serene sound of rushing water accompanied their presence in the night above.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Apologies for the shortness of this chapter. I just had to get this one out because it has certainly been a while. Don't worry, I'll make it up in the next one. Till the next chapter, bye!**


End file.
